Colorado Springs News, Sports & Business

THE DISH: MB Partlow

Spring Rolls
Saigon Springs
3408 N. Academy Blvd., 597-1175
Take the freshest sprigs of cilantro, basil and mint that you can find. Halve some sweet, plump shrimp. Slice some tender pork. Get the crunchiest bean sprouts and julienne the crispest carrots and cucumbers. Combine with rice,...

Take the freshest sprigs of cilantro, basil and mint that you can find. Halve some sweet, plump shrimp. Slice some tender pork. Get the crunchiest bean sprouts and julienne the crispest carrots and cucumbers. Combine with rice, stick noodles in a chewy, delicate rice-paper wrapper, and you've got a locked and loaded spring roll, all the flavors ready to detonate in your mouth. That's the spring roll ($3.95 for 2) experience at Saigon Springs.

Crave is all about the burgers. So, we'll just have some fried pickles ($4 small, $8 large) while we wait. What a weird idea: fried pickles. Maybe we won't even finish them. Sliced dill pickles in a thin, peppery batter, fried until they resemble golden-brown coins. With ranch dressing on the side? They're not like anything else we've eaten. Hey, who ate the last pickle?

To take this moist, dense, spicy cake and top it with a rich, buttery toffee sauce is one thing. But to then gild the lily with the crowning glory of salted caramel ice cream? This dessert ($8) is so good it will make you forget the existence of chocolate. Don't try to share, because you'll resent every forkful that doesn't wind up in your own mouth.

French FriesMilt's Coffee Shop
2314 E. Platte Ave., 634-9016

Forget about truffles and aioli and fancy flavored ketchups. These are just really well-prepared french fries ($2) that taste as if they came from a potato instead of from the deep freeze. Skinny, greasy, salty and delicious: They are everything you could ever want from diner fries. Or, heck, from any fries, anywhere.

The Sangria Swirl ($6) combines mixology and magic. The tart, luscious, lime-infused tequila drink known as a margarita is swirled with the tangy, sweet, earthy and fruit-infused red wine drink known as sangria. If logic says the two don't combine, your taste buds will tell you otherwise. Think of it as the ultimate Slurpee for adults.

Sometimes you don't want a puny little cracker-thin crust. Sometimes you want your pizza hot and hefty, with a substantial, chewy crust, crispy brown on the bottom and thick enough to stand up to whatever you want to pile on the top. The square Sicilian pizza ($16.50 or more) also happens to make the best leftovers for breakfast - and you will have leftovers. All of Borriello Brothers' toppings are available on a Sicilian crust, but the simple pepperoni is a joy to behold.